[Music] histamine receptor type 2 blockers also called h2 blockers are medications used to treat stomach ulcers and gerd in this mnemonic video we'll cover important facts about the h2 blockers so you'll be ready come test day it's the holiday season and during this time of the year i like to take people out for rides in my horse-drawn carriage before we go i have to make sure my horse's horseshoes are nice and clean by the way use these horseshoes to symbolize h2 blockers horse for h and shoe is our recurring number rhyme for the number two it's the h2 horseshoe like i mentioned before h2 stands for histamine receptor type 2. these receptors are usually found in the stomach and when they are activated they stimulate the production of stomach acid so h2 blockers are used when we want to decrease stomach acid before we get ahead of ourselves let's first talk about how to recognize h2 blocker drug names on the side of my holiday carriage i've hung a banner that says good tidings you know the classic holiday greeting which reminds me the word tidings here is our symbol for the drug ending of the h2 blockers tadine for example we have semetidine renitidine and famotidine anytime you see a drug name ending in tiding think of the good tidings on my carriage to remember that they are h2 blockers okay now that we know how to recognize h2 blockers let's move on to their clinical uses while i was trying to replace its shoes my horse kicked me in the stomach leaving a big horseshoe shaped hole but don't worry i always carry my sewing kit with me in case this happens here at pixarize we use a hole in the shirt right over the belly to symbolize gi ulcers which are essentially holes in the lining of the gut tract the way that i'm sewing up this hole can help you remember that h2 blockers are used to treat gi ulcers by reducing the amount of stomach acid h2 blockers stop excess acid from causing more damage and allow the ulcers time to heal these drugs may also be used to prevent ulcers from happening in the first place i use a very acidic cleaning solution to keep my horse's horseshoes nice and clean you know this flask full of acid looks a little bit like the upper gi tract don't you think i mean we have a long narrow neck that looks like the esophagus and then a bigger bottom portion full of acid like the stomach can you see it the way that the acid is bubbling up in this flask reminds me of gastroesophageal reflux disease abbreviated as gerd gerd is when stomach acid bubbles up into the esophagus creating an uncomfortable feeling that we commonly call acid reflux or heartburn and just like i'm capping the bubbling beaker of acid to prevent it from bubbling over h2 blockers can be used to treat gerd which makes sense when you think about how h2 blockers reduce the production of stomach acid right now that we know what h2 blockers are used for we better cover a few important side effects to open and close the carriage door just pull that lever there hey don't you think that lever looks almost liver shaped it's the liver-shaped lever here at pixar eyes we use a liver-shaped lever to symbolize liver damage called hepatotoxicity h2 blockers have the potential to cause some liver damage so keep a close eye on the patient's liver enzymes like ast and alt any abnormal findings should be reported to the provider whoa there buddy my horse isn't a fan of getting his horseshoes cleaned and he's rearing back as i approach him my uncooperative horse is jerking around the carriage causing the passenger to spill her bottle of medications use these spilling pills to remind you that there are several different drug interactions caused by h2 blockers especially by cementidine cimetidine can cause drug interactions because it alters the activity of enzymes in the liver used to break down other drugs specific drugs to watch out for include warfarin and theophilin just keep this fact in mind as something that both you as the nurse and your patient should be aware of right that's all for this mnemonic let's recap histamine receptor type 2 antagonists or h2 blockers for short are a class of drugs easily recognizable by their tiding endings such as cemetidine renitidine and famotidine these drugs reduce the production of gastric acid making them useful in treating gi ulcers and gastroesophageal reflux disease or gerd h2 blockers can cause hepatotoxicity so keep a close eye on those liver enzymes some editing can also cause several drug interactions and now we're all done with the h2 blockers see you next time thanks for watching for more videos like this one subscribe to our channel and check out our newest lessons for more resources on this topic including fact lists and interactive review images click the image next to the more here arrow i'll see you next time